


Moving On

by kimmyiewrites (arosetosomeone)



Series: Moving On Series [1]
Category: Graceland (TV)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Post-Season/Series Finale, mob
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 10:06:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14668779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arosetosomeone/pseuds/kimmyiewrites
Summary: Mike Warren has gone back to D.C. to try and move on from all that had happened in Graceland. With a new case and a new partner he just might be able to do just that or will Graceland's memories come back to haunt him?Post Series Finale!





	1. New Case

**Author's Note:**

> Back again with a new story from my Wattpad account. It is a completed story so it will be posted all at once like my story Because I Knew You was. I hope you all enjoy this one. I can't wait to hear what you all think. Much love!

He wasn't sure if going back to DC was the best decision but he knew he had to get away from LA, from Graceland. There were some things he was going to miss, after all one doesn't just forget about the time spent together with a group of agents who have made their mark on his heart, his soul like the agents did at Graceland. Some were better than others but it wasn't the people that made him transfer back to Quantico. No the reason he was back on the East Coast was because he needed to find himself again, find his dream again.

He walked the hallways like he never left. He passed by Jessica's office and the two shared a tense smile. Hopefully he wouldn't have to work with her on anything. He walked past his old office and felt no emotion. He was actually glad he no longer had the job. He supposed he felt relief if he had to describe how he felt after seeing how stressed the guy who took his place looked.

He finally made it to the director's office and was a bit surprised to find someone in the office with the director. "Ah Warren good to see you again." The director stood and shook Mike's hand. "Have a seat I was just about to go over your next case."

Mike nodded and took the unoccupied seat. "Now I've asked you two to do this mission because you are the two best undercover agents I have. Both taking down major crime families like it was nothing. Warren this is Agent Rebecca Morris. I'm not sure if you remember her from when you were here."

The two agents looked at each other, piercing blue eyes meeting warm, chocolate brown. Mike was hit with recognition. "Morris! Yeah, you made those delicious strawberry jam crescent rolls."

Rebecca or Bex as she preferred to be called smiled wide. She couldn't believe that he remembered her let alone the small game they played. It first started out after he left her a thank you note on her desk after she brought in enough for the office. Then it continued after she noticed that he seemed to be having a bad day. He left her another note with a Twix candy bar which just so happened to be one of her favorites since she had mentioned in the note she left with the pastry that he looked like he needed it more than she did. This exchange happened throughout the time he was in DC.

"I tried to make some after I left but they didn't turn out as well." Mike continued causing them both to laugh.

"I'll teach you how to make them since it seems like we're going to be partners," she smiled.

"Before my office turns into Rachel Ray can we please discuss this case?" The director asked. The two agents turned back to face him, both mumbling apologies.

"Right, so Agent Morris has been working on getting under with a branch of the Italian mob here in Washington. This is quite a dangerous case since this particular branch works with arms deals. I thought that you would be the perfect agent to help her, Warren, so what do you say?" Both the director and Bex looked towards Mike.

Mike looked back and forth between the two and sighed. He had been hoping to take over someone's unwanted paper work for a little bit before he jumped back into undercover work but this seemed like it was going to be different than the cases he worked at Graceland besides he couldn't exactly let Bex do this alone. He was sure other agents were qualified but there was just something about Bex that he couldn't say no to and he wasn't exactly sure why.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah I can help her out." He smiled, still uncertain about all of it.

"Good. Now go get up to date on all that Agent Morris knows. If you two need anything just let me know." The director dismissed them.

Once they reached Bex's desk, she pulled out a small container filled with a couple of the pastries that Mike had raved about in the director's office. Mike's face lit up as he took a crescent roll. "I heard you were coming back so I made a batch in order to celebrate." Bex said with a shrug.

"You are the best! I feel like I'm going to gain so much weight with us now being partners." He laughed.

"I promise I won't make them too often then. Wouldn't want to mess up your girlish figure." She teased.

They both laughed causing people around them to give them weird looks. They were acting like they were the best of friends reuniting after a long time being a part and if Mike was being honest Bex was his only genuine friend while he was here in Washington even if the only time the talked to each other was through sticky notes and sweets. "So what's this case you've been working on?" He asked after he finished his treat.

Bex slid a case file across her desk towards him. "This is the Capello family. Their name fits them well since it means trick and boy have they been tricky. They have this web here in D.C. and they are somehow able to distribute some of the worst fire arms for civilians to have right under our noses. I mean these are all so deadly. They cut through bullet proof vests and probably any other form of body armor. I want to stop these guys before a war breaks out because I don't know about you but I don't want to know what that looks like."

Mike nodded as he flipped through the file Bex had put together. "Have you figured out how you're going to go under?"

Bex pointed at a picture of one of the sons. "Luka Capello, the middle son of the family is all about his fun and his women. He doesn't really seem to care about the family business. Figured if I could get him to want me for more than one night I could get under with him."

"That sounds like a good plan but what if you can't get under with Luka?" Mike asked.

"Then there's Isabella or Izzy and she always looks like she needs a friend." Bex replied, pointing at another picture.

"Seems like you have a solid plan then. So what do you need from me?"

"I need you to be my contact for the outside world. I need you to have my back because I plan on going pretty far under. I need to figure out their web and how to unravel it."

Mike nodded. He didn't really do much of anything else and it worried Bex a bit. She reached over and placed her hand on his arm. "Hey if we're going to be partners I hold an open door policy. So that means you have to talk to me. Is everything okay? Are you sure you want to take this cause if not I can get the director to take you off and find someone else..." She trailed off.

Mike looked up and saw the genuine concern etched into her features. He shook his head. "No, I can do this. I just finished a rather difficult case that was pretty much a deep cover case and well I'm still kind of processing through it. It's why I came back here really. I was kinda hoping for stacks of paper work for once." He chuckled.

Bex flashed him a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry about what you went through but can I be bold for just a moment?"

"Uh, sure..." He said, unsure about what she meant.

"You wouldn't have signed up for this job if you wanted something easy. You signed up because you wanted to protect and help people. When we have those tough cases we've got to remember why we signed up for this job in the first place and if you ever need help remembering I'm your gal. I'll help you all I can, I just need you to be open and honest with me because that's what partners are for." She said.

Mike smiled. Bex was going to be a breath of fresh air compared to everything he had to deal with at Graceland. "Yeah, I can do that. Now let's go get you ready to go under."

Bex smiled, squeezing his hand reassuringly before she pulled back completely. "That's the spirit!"

They both stood to go and try to find an empty conference room that they could claim for the time being. They definitely needed the space as they prepped for what was going to happen later in the week.


	2. Hook, Line

Not only were papers strewn everywhere but food wrappers, bottles and office supplies were as well. Bex had pinned up a family tree of sorts while explaining to Mike who they were up against. There were some pictures of people they knew were a part of the mob which added up to about half of everyone they assumed was involved thanks to the intel they gathered. The other half of the cork board had question mark pictures to indicate that they knew there were people, they just didn't know who they were. It was a web of about 22 people, not including Isabella Capello, who had nothing to do with the business so they were told.

In the middle of their plan making, Mike offered to go get some food, especially after Bex's stomach grumbled. While Mike was gone, Bex continued trying to make sense of all of her intel. They already had an agent under but he could never get past his soldier role so that's when the director called on Bex to see if she could help and when the director heard that Mike was transferring back, he was ecstatic that they could potentially close this case sooner rather than later.

Mike brought back a couple of sandwiches and bottles of water and the pair ate as they worked. Mike asked questions and Bex answered them as best she could. When he was all caught up they created Bex's undercover story. The thing that would hopefully keep her around would be how she knows a safer bank and people who wouldn't dare go against orders. Mike would be her money man, a couple of other agents plus the pack mules she and the other agent were able to turn would continue to keep track of everything. After Bex meets Luka, Mike along with a tech team would hack the Capello's bank accounts. Luka would get a call and Bex would have her in.

When Saturday came around Bex and Mike was prepping in the hotel room they reserved a couple of blocks from the club Luka frequented. Bex had been in the bathroom for a long time and Mike was beginning to think that she was having second thoughts. Just when he was going to check on her, she walked out. Mike's eyes widened slightly. She was absolutely gorgeous and he didn't even think she knew it.

"You can't see any wires or anything can you?" Bex asked, slowly turning around for Mike to check.

She was a vision in blue in her short dress that hugged all of her curves and the single lace sleeve that went all the way down to her wrist. Mike looked her over and while he was supposed to be checking for any visible wires he couldn't help but to check her out in the process. "I don't see anything." He said when he looked back up at her face.

"Perfect." She smiled and moved past him to put on her black suede pumps. She turned back around and looked worried when she caught Mike staring at her. "Are you sure you can't see anything? I put them under my belt and necklace like we talked about." She had a thick black belt around her waist to show off her figure even more and a diamond teardrop pendant sat just below her collar bone.

"Yes, I'm sure. You look beautiful is all." He said a bit sheepishly.

This caused Bex to blush. She had had a crush on Mike when he was first in Washington and it made her feel like a school girl. With him back, those feelings came back but they were coworkers and most of the time in-house dating hardly ever worked so she wasn't even going to try it. After all she didn't think that a man like Mike would even look at her that. "Thanks." She gave him a small smile. "So, are you all set for tonight?" She asked.

Mike nodded. "The team and I will be parked in the parking deck right next to the club. What are our code words?"

"If I need you to come save me, it's I'm not that kind of girl. For the green light to start hacking it's I'll give you a night you'll never forget."

Mike chuckled. "Yeah that's certainly something you'll be giving him. We won't have to listen to anything we don't want to will we?" He would rather not listen to Bex having sex with another guy.

Bex snorted then blushed but Mike just smiled. "That will definitely have Luka knocking down your door."

She shoved at his shoulder. "You are the worst. But to answer your question there will be none of that. He'll hopefully get a phone call before anything happens. At the most you'll hear some heavy kissing."

"Because that's so much better." He teased her.

"You signed up for this Warren. There's no backing out now." She exclaimed as she went towards the door. Right before she exited she turned back around, her curls twirling with her. "How do I look?"

Mike smirked. "Like you're about to kick some major ass. Good luck. I'll be close by so seriously if you need help with anything don't hesitate."

Bex smiled and walked back over and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Mike."

The club was already thrumming with life when Bex entered. She was looking around to see if Luka had showed up yet and she spotted him in a VIP area near the bar with a couple of his friends. Bex smirked, this was perfect.

She strutted towards the bar, she felt as if all eyes were on her. She made sure to sway her hips as she walked past Luka's table and turned towards the bar. She leaned over the bar to add a little more to her impression on Luka and ordered her drink.

Luka couldn't keep his eyes off of Bex and soon made his way over to her with encouraging words from his friends. He placed a hand on her lower back, causing her to straighten up and look to see who was touching her. Luka smirked at her. "Well, you are easily the prettiest girl here tonight. What do you say to joining me and my friends? But don't worry you'll only have to worry about me." He winked.

Bex smiled coyly as she played with the lapels of his suit jacket. "I think you should be the one who worries. How about you dance with me first and then I'll decide if you're worth sticking around for?"

Luka ushered her towards the dance floor and soon the pair were moving to the beat of the music. The music was loud and she could feel the bass move through her in waves starting at her chest and moving down to her toes. There was no space between them as their hips swayed together. Luka's hands felt like they were always moving as he caressed her body until they finally landed on her hips. She draped her arms around his shoulders and looked up into his bright blue eyes, giving him a coy smile.

At the end of the first song Luka leaned in so he could be heard over the music. "So, what do you think? Am I worth sticking around for?"

"Oh, I think so."

He led her back to his table and ordered a couple of drinks. "So, what's your name beautiful?"

"Bex, and yours handsome?"

"Luka, is Bex short for something? I've never heard that name before."

Bex sighed, she really hated her full name. "It's short for Rebecca but I don't like Becca either so Bex was the nickname that stuck and the name I prefer."

"Well, I'll have no trouble remembering that. Are you really here all by yourself?"

"Why, yes I am. Can't a girl go out and have a good time by herself?"

Luka smirked. "I like you Bex. Would you care for another dance?"

"Would love to."

The two returned to the dance floor and things soon began to get heated. Luka leaned in and Bex allowed it. She gripped the lapels of his jacket as he kissed her like she had never been kissed before. He pulled her as close to him as he could manage while they still moved to the music. Their hips were no longer swaying along to the heavy bass but now their lips and tongues were sharing a dance they had been sharing a few moments before.

"My hotel room's only just a couple of blocks away." She gasped as they pulled apart for air.

"Lead the way." He smirked, following her off the dance floor and out of the club.

The two couldn't keep their hands off of each other, well Bex could have done without but this was the most action she had seen in weeks. She tended to be a workaholic and didn't get out much.

"I hope you're ready for a long night." Luka whispered against the column of her neck in between the kisses he was placing there.

"Oh, it's you who should prepare yourself. I'm going to give you a night you'll never forget."


	3. And Sinker

As soon as Bex had said the magic words, Mike and his team began hacking into the Capello accounts. Thousands of dollars were moved into an off-shore account that the Capellos couldn't track. Bex was beginning to worry that Luka was never going to get a phone call since her dress was down around her waist and he was shirtless. Luckily before Luka could get her bra off his phone rang.

He pulled it out of his pant pocket and groaned when he saw that it was his older brother calling. He was tempted to end the call and continue what he and Bex were doing but Emanuele never called at this hour unless it was important. "Sorry, beautiful, I've got to take this."

Bex nodded and pulled her dress back up as she stepped back from in between his legs. "Emanuele this better be good. I was in the middle of something very important."

Emanuele rolled his eyes at his younger brother. "Oh I'm sure your little play thing for the night can wait. We've got a serious issue here, Luka. Our funds have been hacked into."

Luka's face dropped. "What? What do you mean our funds have been hacked?"

Bex who was flipping through the hotel booklet that advertised tourist attractions along with the cable channel list and room service menu turned back around to face Luka with a curious expression.

Luka waved her off and continued his conversation with his brother. "So what do you suggest that I do?"

"I'm going to speak with our bank manager and I need you to find a new place for us to keep our money. You might want to tell your soldiers to get more business done to make up for what we lost."

With that Luka hung up and tossed his phone beside him. "He is such a mood killer." He murmured.

"What was that all about?" Bex asked, sauntering back over to him.

"Apparently the bank my family uses for our business is not as safe as we thought. Some jackoff got lucky and hacked into our account stealing thousands." He explained.

She could feel his anger rolling off of him in waves. He was like a panther calculating before he pounced. Bex walked around and sat behind him. She began massaging his shoulders practically turning him into putty under her hands. "You are a god send. Sorry I've ruined the night." He sighed.

"I think I could turn it around for you..." Bex trailed off, hoping the double meaning would catch on.

"Oh, yeah? And how do you suppose that sweetheart?"

"I just so happen to know a guy who has quite the safe bank. He's got the highest security system out there. Constantly updates his computer security and has never been robbed online or otherwise."

"Now you're just pulling my leg. There's no way you can be this perfect."

Bex smirked. "I didn't tell you my middle name was perfection?" She teased.

He chuckled. "I like you. How about you give me the name and number of your money man and I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't you need my number for that as well?"

"Guess I will." He smirked at her over his shoulder. Luka then stood and handed her the pen and pad off of the night stand.

Bex took it and quickly wrote down her number and then Mike's. She tore the paper off the pad and handed it to him. He pulled her towards him and kissed her. "I look forward to mixing business and pleasure with you Bex."

Once Luka left, Bex texted Mike to give him a warning that Luka was about to call him. When he replied back she undressed and changed into her pajamas. Time to order room service and a pay per view movie. The agency didn't need to know it was so that she could have a night in for celebrating a successful first stage of her mission.

Mike was in his own room at the other end of the hall from Bex's room. He was relieved that everything seemed to have gone over smoothly. He was flipping through channels as he waited for Luka to call. He didn't have to wait much longer after Bex texted him for his phone to ring. "Levi Financial this is Mike speaking." He answered.

"Mike! This is Luka Capello. I just met your beautiful friend Bex and she said that you could be of some use with a little problem that I have."

Mike chuckled. "I think I should just hire her. What can I help you with?"

"Has she sent others your way?" Luka wasn't sure why he was getting jealous over a girl who he just met. Sure she was gorgeous and she knew how to have fun but she was just another one of his flings.

"Just a couple but she's not seeing them if that's what you're worried about. She's as free as they can get." Mike answered, picking up on that flare of jealousy and figured he could play into that.

"That's good because once she's on a Capello arm there's no one else. Now she says you have a top of the line bank?"

Mike smiled. Hook, line and sinker. "Why yes I do. Levi Financial is one of the most secure banks in the D.C. area including the large banks."

"Perfect, so can I set a meeting with you to view your facilities tomorrow?"

"Absolutely. What time works best for you?"

They scheduled it for one o'clock the next afternoon and soon hung up. Mike then picked up the room phone and dialed Bex's room. Bex was in the middle of flipping through the pay per view guide to decide on a movie when the phone rang. She picked it up and cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder "Do I want to watch Crimson Peak or Joy?"

Mike was taken off guard. "I'm sorry, what?"

"C'mon Warren, keep up. What movie do I want to watch? Crimson Peak or Joy? Oh! There's also The Danish Girl."

Mike laughed. "Are you ordering a movie on the agency's card?"

"Yeah? So what movie do you think I should watch? Or you know you could come down here and we could watch the movie together, order some more room service or we could get a pizza I think Fuel is still delivering."

"How about we talk about how we have a meeting with Luka, his brother and father tomorrow at Levi Financial?"

Bex rolled her eyes but then it clicked for her what he just said. "Wait are you serious?"

"As a heart attack so what's the next move?"

"Nothing, we already set up the bank, Levi so now we just dress to impress tomorrow but tonight you can either join me in a celebratory movie and room service or I could do so by myself."

Mike chuckled. "I'll be down shortly. Go ahead and order Crimson Peak and I'll just get something from room service."

"Okay, see you soon." They hung up and Bex ordered the movie. Mike changed into a pair of sweatpants and headed down to Bex's room.

The two split a large pizza from room service as they watched the movie. The credits began to roll and Mike looked down to see what Bex wanted to do next but found that she was sound asleep. He smiled and as quiet as he could got up from the bed. He then cleaned off their mess and tucked her in. "Sweet dreams, Bex. Good job tonight." He whispered before turning off the tv and going to his own room. He had so badly wanted to tuck the stray hair behind her ear but he had restrained himself. They weren't that close yet even if it had seemed they had been working together for ages with how easy they worked together. He needed to focus. The last thing he wanted was to get involved with another co-worker. He had this feeling that she was nothing like Jessica or Paige but he didn't want to ruin the relationship he already had with Bex since that's what usually happened after he got involved with his co-workers. He wasn't so sure he would take kindly to losing the ray of sunshine Bex was.


	4. The Set Up

Today was the day. The day that made this case or broke it. Bex pulled on her summery blazer over her skater dress while she slid into her wedges. The ends of her hair was curled and her makeup was perfection. It was time to come face to face with the men she had been tracking for months. 

In another apartment across the river, and closer to the capitol is where one Mike Warren was getting ready for the big meet that was happening. He was finishing his first cup of coffee while he was trying to decide which tie he should wear. He wanted to look as professional he could. He didn’t want to ruin this for Bex. She had been working so hard on this case. He decided to keep it classic with a black suit, light gray button down and black tie.

The two met at the shopping center they put Levi Financial in; Mike had arrived about an hour before Bex as they agreed. There was an open space at the very end that the Bureau rented. It was perfect for it allowed them to even put in a drive thru. The few other agents and the actors that they could round up were doing as they were supposed to; make it look like the bank was popular.

Bex was touching up her lip gloss when there was a knock on her window, startling her a bit. She looked over and saw that it was Mike who was chuckling a bit. She glared at him as she rolled her window down. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, you can actually. You see I have a strict no loitering policy and well, you’ve been here a bit too long. I need you to vacate the premises please.” He teased her.

They both began laughing as she pushed at his shoulder. She then flipped the visor up and rolled her window back up. She turned off her engine and Mike opened the door. “Ready to do this?”

“As I’ll ever be.” She answered while smiling her thanks when she took his offered hand to help her out of the car. Bex closed her door and locked her car. Mike offered his arm once more and she looped hers around his. “Such a gentleman.” She teased him.

“I like to make sure all of my favorite clients get the royal treatment.” He replied.

“Well, I hope that certainly goes for new ones as well.” Luka said, coming up behind them, startling them both even if they didn’t exactly show it.

Bex removed her arm from Mike’s as she turned around, flashing a dazzling smile Luka’s way. “Looks like you took my advice. I didn’t know you were meeting today.”

Luka held out his hand towards Bex as he continued to stare down Mike. He didn’t like the closeness between the two. Bex took his hand and he pulled her towards him, planting a firm, possessive kiss on her lips to show Mike up. Bex’s eyes widened in shock. When he pulled back, she giggled, playing up everything. “Well, hello to you too.”

He smirked down at her. “Hello, and what are you doing here today?”

“I’ve got a deposit to make.” She smiled, despite freaking out on the inside. He was early. She was supposed to be able to have plenty of time to do a check through of all of the cameras and to make sure everything was working properly.

“No, for new clients they get a welcome committee. If I had known you were coming earlier, I would have had them out here, waiting for you. Balloons and all.” Mike finally spoke up. Luka was now rubbing him the wrong way and he was beginning to worry for Bex.

“This is all the welcoming committee I need.” He said, looking lustily at Bex. “My father and brother will be joining us shortly. I wanted to make sure everything was as good as this beauty here said it was.” He turned to face Mike, face all business while his hand gripped Bex’s hip possessively. He wanted to make sure that Mike knew that he lost his chance with Bex. She was a Capello’s now so no one else was allowed to touch her.

“Well, we can go to my office to wait for them and we can let Bex go on about her errand. I’m sure she’s got a busy day ahead of her.” Mike replied.

“Right, of course. I’ll call you later. Hopefully you won’t be too busy for me.” Luka said as he let go of Bex and followed Mike into the building.

Bex took a few deep breaths. Well, that was completely different from last night. Now she really needed to prepare herself for this long journey ahead. She removed the imaginary wrinkles in her dress to try and get the gross feeling of having Luka all over her like some caveman. When she got herself together she walked in as poised and collected as ever. She went through the motions of putting a deposit into the bank. While she was waiting at the counter, Emanuele and Giovanni walked through the doors. They were shown where Mike’s office was and when the actor pretending to be a bank teller came back out, Bex ran to the security office.

She burst through the doors and the agent that was sitting there turned around in shock. “Scoot over.” Bex ordered as she brought a chair over to the screens showing the different camera angles they had set up throughout the building. She plopped down and placed the headphones over her ears as she listened in to the meeting between Mike and the Capellos. Thank god Mike already put on the wire.

Everything seemed to be going well and when they began signing all of the paper work, she pumped her fist in the air before quickly taking the headphones off. She needed to get out of there. She ran back out into the lobby and through the doors to her car. Engine revving, she peeled out of the parking lot and made her way to the River Front. She would enjoy a nice celebratory stroll around The Yards Park with some ice cream from Ice Cream Jubilee.

When she stopped at the ice cream shop, she texted Mike, ordering him to get some ice cream before meeting her at the park, requesting for him to text her when he got to the park so she could tell him where she was. Since it was better for her to go with the milkshake route, she got a cookies and cookie dough milkshake and drove to the park. She started out at the entrance of the park. She skipped across the bridge and spun around on the landing before walking back across. She didn’t care if people were giving her strange looks. She danced down by the canal and finally came to rest on the lawn steps, soaking in the sun’s rays as she finished off her milkshake. That was when Mike called, asking where she was.

Mike chuckled when he saw her laying on the green grass platform, next to last from the boardwalk. Bex lowered her sunglasses as she looked up at him. “Good job today. What flavor you get?”

“Fresh Minty Chip.” Mike answered.

“Nice choice.” Bex complimented as she patted the spot next to her. “Now we can work on who’s who, who they’re working with and when we can bring them in. How did dad and brother seem?”

“They’re definitely more business oriented than Luka seems to be. He seems more content with making sure I know that you are now his.” Mike said in between sips of his milkshake.

“Well, I certainly don’t belong to anyone so I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t act like he did this morning again. It gave me the creeps anyway.”

“We can figure another way so you’re not connected to him all the time.” Mike offered, not wanting Bex to be uncomfortable.

Bex shook her head. “Nah, thanks though. We’ve already gone down this road so it might not look so good if we changed course right now. I just need to meet the sister and hopefully things will calm down.”

Mike nodded. “Just let me know.”

Bex smiled up at him. “Of course.”

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Bex watching the clouds, Mike watching the water, Bex spoke up. “You like being back on the East Coast so far?”

“Hmm?” Mike asked, being drawn from his thoughts of how he got to this point, celebrating a break through in a case with a milkshake at one of the local parks with his partner. He then registered what she had asked and nodded. “Yeah, it’s like coming home after you finish college. You know the whole pick yourself back up and getting ready to face the world again.”

Bex reached over and placed her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Mike. I don’t know what all happened, there’s been water cooler talk of course but I never really listen to that. Anyways, I just wanted you to know that I think you’re a pretty great agent for putting up with everything that happened and still deciding to come back.”

He smiled a self deprecating smile. “Thanks Bex. It’s like what you said my first day back. I signed up to help my country and I honestly don’t know if I could leave when I feel like I haven’t done a thing to do that.”

Bex sat up and rested her chin on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. “We all have that one really bad experience and as long as you did your best then that’s all you can do. There’s always going to be another case and another experience, it’s what you do with them that defines you as successful or not. My very first case was awful. I may not have belonged to any agency or law enforcement office at the time but I still consider it my first case. I failed miserably. Matter of fact the case is still technically open, gotta love cold cases.” She laughed humorlessly. “Now I make sure that any of my other cases that come across my desk get solved. It’s all anyone can ask, for us to do our best to solve the cases we’ve been assigned. No matter how awful they wind up because that most certainly was not my only case that dragged me through the mud.”

She then jumped up and offered her hands out to him, smiling her room brightening smile. “So on that note let’s go for a walk before we go back to reality and plan our next step.”

When she smiled at him like that, he couldn’t help but to return the smile. He wanted to know more but he didn’t want her to ever feel like he felt after Graceland. So he would wait until she told him her story. He would then tell her the story of Graceland and how he fell down a dark hole that he thought he would never come out of until her warm rays of light shined down on him and began to bring him back to life. He would thank her because she was making him remember why he joined the bureau in the first place, he just didn’t know at that point in time, she would really and truly bring him back to life and not just metaphorically.


	5. Going Further Down the Ice Berg

Things were going well, surprisingly well. Bex had yet to meet the sister but she had met quite a few new faces that added to their tree. She had made herself an asset and the Capello’s couldn’t risk letting her loose. With the help of Nolan Cooper, Owen Collins and William Phillips; pack mules working for the Capello’s turned criminal informants for Bex and Declan, Bex was able to bring in two more agents with her for the pack mule job. Agents Miles Stewart and Gabriel Parker helped Bex fill in the rest of the photos for the Capello soldier role. 

There was Piero Damiani, Samuele Capello and Jasper King. With each of these men revealed more pieces to the puzzle were uncovered. They uncovered that a few of the Damiani’s were involved. The Damiani’s were Luka’s mother’s family. Piero was the younger brother to Michele, who was placed as a Capo for the Capello family. Samuele was a nephew to Giovanni and the younger brother to Nicolas, who is another capo and the eldest son to Alessandro, the younger brother to Giovanni and the consigliere to the family. A capo is like a captain leading soldiers. A consigliere is the counselor or advisor to the boss.

Not everything can be smooth sailing however. Bex was touching up her make up when Lua stormed into the bathroom. She was staying at his apartment for the weekend since the Capello’s were throwing a benefit dinner for Senator Julian Roberts. The sound of the door slamming against the wall startled her, causing her to poke herself in the eye with her mascara wand.

“Do you think I’m an idiot?!” Luka yelled as Bex blinked constantly until the burning sensation stopped. 

“No, I think I’m the idiot for stabbing myself in the eye with my mascara!” She replied.

“Now is not the time for your wit, Rebecca.” He hissed as he pulled her to face him. “Declan told me he knew you when he worked for the feds. Are you using me? Did you think you would get away with it?”

Bex froze, her eye was still burning like mad but she needed to focus in order to get out of this. “Babe -”

“Don’t babe me. Tell me the truth, Rebecca.”

“Fine, Luka, you want to know the truth? You got played but not by me. Declan’s just jealous of us and wanted us to split. I am no way working with the feds. I avoid them. They take all you worked for away from you. Why would I want to work for them?”

“You swear on your life that you are not working for them?” 

Bex nodded. “I swear on my life that I’m not working for the feds.”

Luka breathed a sigh of relief. He had been more heartbroken than anything when Declan had told him that. Bex had made working for the family fun and he didn’t mind it so much anymore. If their relationship had been a whole lie he would have gone mad. He wiped a mascara tainted tear away and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry that I didn’t trust you and that I made you poke your eye with your mascara. How about I make it up to you by treating you to a good time tonight?”

Bex smiled, glad that this seemed to have blown over. She vowed to herself though that she would have a few choice words with Declan tonight. “Sounds like a plan to me. Just need to get my shoes on and I’m ready to go.”

They arrived shortly to the Library of Congress. The main lobby before reaching the many rows of books was being used as the ballroom of sorts where all of the guests could mix and mingle. Bex always loved coming to the library. She could get lost in it for hours taking in the architecture or reading one of the many books they had and have done so on multiple occasions. 

When the two arrived, Declan met Bex’s gaze with a shocked one. He had hoped that his plan would have worked. He knew that Bex was close, knew how good Bex was and he couldn’t have her ruin what he had going for him. He knew that as soon as the Capello’s came down, he would be out of a job and out of a life of freedom. 

Luka kissed Bex’s cheek, smiling apologetically as he is beckoned away to do some work related things. Bex replies with a reassuring smile before giving him a sweet kiss. As Luka left, a waiter with a tray of champagne walked by and Bex plucked a flute off before making her way to where Declan was standing. She stood next to him, looking out at the party goers and sipping on her drink. “Well, you certainly get an A plus for effort.” Bex finally said.

Declan chuckled uncomfortably, maybe he could talk her out of this, maybe he could even talk her into joining the Capello’s like he did. “You’re getting awfully close, Bex but it seems like you’re really enjoying Luka’s company. Are you sure you really want to take down the Capello’s?”

Bex snorted. “Yeah, I should get an Oscar after this case. Luka’s alright, not my cup of tea though. So why exactly did you try to get me killed? Don’t you want this case to be over? You can finally go home and not have to watch your back.”

He popped one of the horderves in his mouth, thoroughly chewing it before answering. “You don’t get it Bex. I don’t want this to end. I won’t be able to have my life back if it does.”

Then it clicked and Bex nearly dropped her drink. She turned to finally face Declan with wide eyes and she swore her jaw was on the floor. The look on his face confirmed what she had pieced together. He was no longer working for the FBI, he was working for the Capello’s. She slowly began to back away. “I’m not going to stop, not until you and this whole operation is stopped.”

Bex had to leave. She couldn’t breathe. It felt like she had been hit in the stomach. All that she believed about her fellow agents had been ripped out from under her. She needed to leave. She needed to figure this out, wrap her head around it. She needed Mike. 

“Whoa, you don’t look so good.” A voice said before an arm was wrapped around her shoulders.

Bex looked over and there was the person she was hoping to meet tonight. “Yeah, it must have been something I ate. You’re Izzy, right? Your brother talks a lot about you.” She smiled.

The other woman returned the smile. “Yeah, that would be me. Luka speaks a lot about you as well, Bex. How about we sneak away and take a seat until whatever has you down passes?”

Bex nodded. “That sounds lovely.”

The two walk further into the library and stop to sit when the music can no longer be heard. “I’ll have to make sure to tell Luka to yell at the cook for making you not feel well.”

Bex laughed. “He would do it too but that’s not necessary. Thank you though.”

“You know, I didn’t really want to even come to this thing? Everyone in that room either knows what my family does or is completely clueless that the senator is on our payroll.”

“Senator Roberts is on your payroll?” Bex asked, oh this night was just getting better.

“Yeah, you didn’t know? He’s the one leading the whole keep our second amendment rights battle so it’ll be easier for dad to transport his weapons and ammo.” Izzy rolled her eyes, clearly not agreeing with her father’s practices.

“Huh, I honestly had no clue. I’m just the money girl.” Bex laughed.

“Oh, trust me, to Luka you are much more than the money girl.”

The two shared a smile before Izzy stood. “I guess I better get back out there before father sends the search party. Take all the time you need. I’ll let Luka know you aren’t feeling well.”

“Thanks, Izzy but I think I’m just gonna sneak out the side and head home. I’m not going to be much company right now anyways.”

Izzy nodded. “I wish I could do the same thing. You feel better then. It was good to finally meet you Bex.”

“You as well, Izzy and thanks.” The two women gave each other a hug before going their separate ways.

Bex pulled out her phone and gave Mike a call as she made her way out of the library. When he didn’t answer the first time, she began to worry and called him once again, thankfully he answered the second time. 

“Hey, sorry I didn’t answer at first. Was finishing up some stuff at the bank and didn’t want to lose count.” He apologized.

“I’m just glad you’re okay. Are you still there?” Bex asked as she stood on the street trying to flag down a taxi.

“Yeah, what’s wrong? Aren’t you supposed to be at the gala thing tonight?” 

“Yeah but I’ve got some info that just can’t wait. Meet you at the bank or should I go somewhere else?”

“No, the bank’s good. I’ll see you in a few then?”

Bex finally got one to stop as she answered. “Yeah, just got a cab. See you soon.” As she got into the back of the car, they hung up. Bex told the address to the driver and the rest of the ride was quiet as she contemplated what she had to do next. This case just got so much bigger than what she was anticipating. 

Mike met her outside, offering her his coat when he noticed her shiver a bit at the cool breeze. She took it gratefully and followed him inside. “You look beautiful, by the way. I’m sure he forgot to tell you that.”

“Mike Warren, are you jealous?” She teased.

“What? No.” He emphasized with a shake of his head causing Bex to giggle. 

She wrapped her arms around his and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thanks, Mike.”

He smiled and patted her hands with his. “Now what is this urgent information or did you just say that cause you missed me?” He teased her once they settled into his makeshift office. 

Bex giggled. “You got me. It’s really only because I missed you.”

“Really?” Mike asked, shocked that his teasing was actually right.

Bex smiled. “No, that’s not it really but I have missed you. We’ll have to have a jelly crescent eating party when this is all over.” She laughed causing Mike to join in with her.

“Well, that certainly sounds like a plan to me. So what did you find out tonight?”

Bex took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say next. “Declan has been burned. He is now on the payroll and who knows how long that’s been going on. Oh, and Senator Roberts is also linked with the Capello’s. He’s leading their little make sure gun laws are still wide open as possible so it doesn’t hurt their business.”

Mike couldn’t respond right away. He was processing through what Bex had just told him. He was afraid something like this could be happening. This was why he was nervous to take this case so close after all that happened at Graceland. He too took a deep breath before speaking, after all he had Bex and this wasn’t Graceland and everything was going to work out, right? “Well, then it looks like we need to factor these two in our takedown plan.”

Bex nodded. “Looks like it, indeed.”


	6. Relapse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF ADDICTION AND RELAPSE

After the initial meeting Bex and Izzy became rather good friends. Izzy reminded Bex of her own younger sister and it was easy for Bex to fall back into the role of older sister. When the Capello’s had any sort of event Bex would always find some way to make sure Izzy wasn’t there for too long. She would always make sure there was some excuse and with Bex being a trusted friend, Izzy was always allowed to go.

The two girls would either get coffee, shop or enjoy walking around D.C. All of the new time that they spent together even made Bex feel guilty for lying to Izzy. She kept going back and forth on telling Izzy the truth but Bex finally decided that when she would take the Capello’s in, she would be the one to speak with Izzy. 

It seemed like the case continued to grow ever since Bex found out that Declan and the senator was on the Capello’s payroll. With spending so much time with Izzy, Bex realized that the same four cops would take rounds in following them to make sure they were safe. Izzy informed her that Officers Leo Moore, Elijah Harris, Luke Wright, and Caleb Nelson had been brought into the family after a deal was made after Emanuele was arrested. The four officers were apart of the gang relations unit.

Bex could not believe the web that she had gotten herself in. Why couldn’t she just get close to one person, find out the date and time of the sell and lock the bad guys away? Of course, she would never have an easy case like that. 

Once Bex found out about the officers, she met up with Mike. Something seemed off though. She wasn’t quite sure what it was but his eyes were hazy and he was more closed off from her than was normal. She knew for sure something was off when their banter fell flat. He definitely didn’t want to talk about whatever was bothering him so she gave him a parting hug and his upper arm a squeeze. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“I don’t have anything to talk about Bex. Now go, I’m sure Luka is missing you.” Mike replied, nudging her towards the door.

Bex sighed. “Just call me later, okay? I don’t care what time it is.”

Mike rolled his eyes and forced a chuckle out. “Go, Bex. I’m fine.”

Except he wasn’t fine. He knew that and he had to make sure that Bex didn’t find out. Things had gotten to be too much and although he knew that Bex was no where near the level that Briggs was at when he went deep undercover with Ari, in Mike’s mind there were far too many similarities. 

As things grew more and more complicated in Bex’s case the more stressed and worried Mike grew. He felt as though his feelings for Bex made his objectivity compromised. He didn’t want make any of the mistakes he made when he thought he was helping Paige although he was quite certain that Bex wouldn’t try to kill him if he made a mistake to make her angry. He couldn’t chance it though. So he fell back into old habits. He promised himself that it was going to be just until after this case was through.

A couple of weeks had passed since then and he felt like he had things under control. The case was seeming like it would close soon. As Bex continued to get closer and closer with Izzy the more open Luka seemed to be with her about the business side of things. Bex kept asking if he was okay and he kept pushing her away. It had come to a point where they only talked professionally. While he hated that it had come to that he was hoping that after the case was done he would be able to bring back their relationship to what it was. 

Before leaving the bank, Mike popped the small white pill into his mouth and swallowed. He was fine. He didn’t do anything more like he had when he was with Maddie. He then received a text from Bex claiming that she was about to get a big break and that she would call later. Suddenly the calmness he felt from the pill he had just took went away. Mike pulled out another one and copied the same motions he was used to. He was fine. He could stop as soon as Bex put that family away. He was fine.

As Mike walked out of the bank, he saw a red cardinal sitting in the branches of a tree on the edge of the parking lot. Mike froze in his footsteps. There was no way. The universe was a vast, unknown thing but surely it wouldn’t try to use the same sign. He felt as if the bird was staring at him, like it knew what he had done. He was fine.

Mike was startled from his trance when his phone started ringing. As he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the bird had flown away. He checked his caller id and saw that it was Bex who was calling. He took a deep breath and got into his car. The ringing stopped and he hoped that she wouldn’t try to call back. He was fine.

All of this was beginning to get to be too much. He was fine. He took the small plastic bag and counted how many he had left. He was fine. When he figured he had enough to last the rest of the week he took another pill out. He was fine. That was when his phone began to ring again. He looked over and saw that it was Bex calling again. He looked back and forth between his phone screen and the white pill in his hand. He was not fine.

He had relapsed and there was no one there to stop him. He didn’t allow anyone to even know so they could stop him. The only person that he knew would have helped him was now calling him back for the third time. On the third ring he answered but she didn’t even let him get a word in.

“Do you know how worried I’ve been? Why didn’t you answer? You better not have any broken bones, gun shot wounds, stabs or blood on you. I’m on my way to the bank so if you’re not there you better tell me where you are right now.” Bex practically yelled into the phone as she sped through the streets of D.C.

Hearing the true worry in her voice brought tears to his eyes. What had he done? Why had he pushed the one good thing he had away? “I’m sorry, Bex. I’m so sorry.” He repeated over and over as he rested his head on the steering wheel.

“Mike, what’s wrong? Where are you? I’m on my way okay. I’ll kick whoever’s ass I need to. I don’t care if I’ve been burned we’ll take the Capello’s down some other way. Talk to me, please.” Bex begged, her worried feelings were heightened when she heard Mike crying over the phone. 

“Meet me at my apartment, okay? I’ll explain there.” He sniffled, wiping his tears away before he starting his car.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah I can do that.” Bex replied as she sped through a U-Turn to make sure she got there in plenty of time. 

“I’m sorry, Bex.” Mike apologized once more before hanging up. 

Before he drove off he sent a text to Charlie. “I need your help.”

Charlie was at a bar in Chicago celebrating her latest case ending when she got Mike’s text. She was just about to finish off her drink when she read it. Her eyes widened and she set her drink down. “Sorry guys, I gotta go. I’ll be back soon.” Charlie grabbed her jacket and flagged down a taxi. She and Mike had set up a safe word of sorts when they left. If he ever relapsed or felt like he was headed in that direction he would send her those four words and she would drop everything and come to help him. 

Bex arrived just after Mike did. She hopped out of her car and ran to him, nearly toppling them over as she wrapped him into a tight embrace. “Oh, Mike. Thank god.” She breathed into his neck.

Mike steadied them as much as he could, luckily his car was there to catch them the rest of the way. He wrapped his arms tightly around Bex so that there was no room between their bodies. He buried his face in her hair and began to cry once again.

Bex brought a hand up and began to run her fingers through his hair trying her best to comfort him. “Hey, shh, shh, shh, let’s get inside huh?”

He nodded, slowly pulling back from their embrace. He motioned for her to go first and he soon followed. Once inside Bex headed straight for the kitchen causing Mike to chuckle. “What are you looking for?” 

“Tea! I know I’ve left a box here and it’s the cure all to a crappy day.” Bex called out.

Mike sighed and walked to the kitchen. “I don’t think it’s gonna cure my problem today, Bex.”

“Are you still a nonbeliever? Oh, Mike Warren, I’ll make a tea drinker out of you yet.” She teased as she opened up another cabinet.

Mike walked up behind her and took her wrist in his hand, spinning her around to face him. “Bex, it’s not because I’m not a tea drinker. It’s because tea isn’t going to fix my problem.” He took both of her hands into his and gave them a squeeze. He looked at their hands for a moment before looking back at Bex. 

“I’ve called a friend of mine from Graceland. I think you’ll like her actually. Her name’s Charlie.” He started, not really knowing how to tell her that he had relapsed.

Bex’s surprised expression from being spun around quickly transformed into a scared one. Mike was beginning to scare her. She didn’t know what was happening. Was Charlie supposed to help protect her? Was something going on with Mike? She hated when people didn’t out right say what they wanted to say. It had been a pet peeve of hers ever since she was told what happened to her sister.

Mike took a deep breath. “Bex, I’m a recovering oxy addict. I started using back when I was in Graceland after I nearly died. I had to get back and it just happened. I don’t know how but it did. My friends helped me through a detox and I’ve been clean up until about a month ago. You see you’re probably one of the best agents I’ve ever worked with and the way a new break in the case made your whole face light up was refreshing. Your whole outlook on this job was refreshing. I just couldn’t take a hold of it like I had hoped. 

Your open door policy was odd to me because even though there were no secrets in Graceland that house was filled with secrets. This case was starting to feel too familiar and it overwhelmed me and I was in evidence and there was a stash and I just couldn’t stop myself. 

I didn’t want to interfere with your case though. You had been working so hard and I couldn’t let myself get in your way so I didn’t tell you. I thought I could wait to quit til after this case was over and then you called and called and called and I remembered that I wasn’t with my old team. I was with my new partner who cared more about the person she was working with than the case she was working and I knew I needed your help.” 

Tears were once more streaming down his face and Bex was holding back her own tears. “So I texted Charlie and I understand if you want to go but I really hope that you won’t.”

Bex sniffled. It felt as though her heart was breaking. She couldn’t believe that he was dealing with so much and holding everything in just so she could have a successful case. “I’m not going anywhere. Just tell me what I need to do.”


	7. Detox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: DETOX AFTER RELAPSE

The doorbell rang just as Bex had finished handcuffing Mike to the bed. “I’ll be right back.” Bex promised, squeezing his free hand.

Bex opened the door after checking through the peephole that it was a friendly face. Mike had shown her a group photo, long before the secrets ate away at the group of Graceland, and shown her which one was Charlie. 

“You must be Bex. I’m Charlie. Wish we were meeting through better circumstances.” Charlie stuck out her hand and gave Bex a bittersweet smile.

Bex gave her hand a firm shake and returned her smile. “He’s in his room already cuffed. It’s right past the living room.” 

Charlie nodded and set her bag down.

“Oh, and Charlie? Tell him I’m coming back? I just gotta grab some things from my car.”

Charlie smiled, she knew that Mike had finally found himself a good one. “You got it, baby doll.”

With that the girls went in their separate directions. Luckily Bex had an overnight bag in the back of her car, she knew she wasn’t going to be at home for quite some time. Hopefully Luka wouldn’t freak out when she wasn’t going to be around for the next few days. She lastly grabbed a worn copy of  _ The Wizard of Oz _ . It was her sister’s favorite book. Bex carried it everywhere with her. She hoped the words were helpful for Mike during his detox.

“You’ve got yourself a keeper there, Mikey. Tell me you’ve scooped her up,” Charlie said.

Mike chuckled. “I’m afraid not Chuck. I don’t exactly have a stellar track record with dating on the inside.”

Charlie laughed and patted his chest. “I’ve only spent maybe five minutes with the girl and I already know you’d be a real idiot if you let her get away.”

Mike smile and squeezed her hand. “Thanks Charlie and thanks for coming down here.”

Charlie placed a kiss onto his hand before standing. “Anytime, Mikey.” She then walked out o find Bex writing on Mike’s wall calendar. “What’s that?”

Bex turned around looking like a kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. “Oh, it’s just a reminder for myself of when the Capello’s big sale is. I know I’m going to forget about it.”

Charlie placed a comforting hand on Bex’s shoulder. “You could just tell him, ya know. He’s still Mike. You should tell him though before he won’t be able to talk back.”

Bex looked down at her shoes and nodded. “He’s going to be okay, right?” She whispered.

Charlie wrapped her arms around the other woman. “Oh sweetie, Mike’s going to be okay and this time he’s got the support system he needs.” She pulled back at arm’s length and smiled at her. “Now go tell him your big break through and then we’ll set up in the living room so we can do rounds.”

Bex smiled. “Thanks, Charlie.”

Once Bex entered Mike’s room he lazily smiled up at her. He was beginning to get tired from the late hour and he was thankful that it looked like he was going to be able to get some sleep before the pain set in. Bex sat down beside him. “I’m so bad at this stuff.” She started with a laugh.

“Hey, I’m just handcuffed to a bed. You don’t have to act weird,” he chuckled, “You were calling me earlier. Did the sale go through?” Mike asked.

Bex smiled, glad he helped her past the awkwardness she felt. “I got a date, Mike. Luka might even let me go with him.” She beamed. “The Capello’s should be taken out by the end of the week!”

Mike took Bex’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “That is fantastic news Bex! Great job. Knew you could do it.” 

Bex returned Mike’s squeeze. “Thanks Mike. I couldn’t have done it without you. Now try and get some sleep okay?”

Mike smiled. “You too, Bex and thank you.”

Bex was woken up by the sound of Mike’s groans. Charlie placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. Go back to sleep. I got it.”

Mike was fidgeting about on the bed from the pain that he was in. When he saw Charlie walk in he began laughing. “Charlie, c’mon, let me out. This isn’t what I meant. I needed help with my latest case.” He tried to bargain.

“It’s not going to work, Mike. You can do this.” Charlie encouraged as she walked over to the side they left the puke bucket on. She noticed that it needed to be switched so she replaced it with an empty one and with a promise to return. She went to go clean out the full bucket and when she returned she began talking about Chicago. In the middle of her story the kettle went off. 

Mike was gradually becoming worse. He began scratching and sweating. He also periodically clutched at his side in pain as he fought through his body’s detox. He continued to beg Charlie to get her to release him but she continued to ignore him. When he heard the kettle go off he began calling for Bex. She wouldn’t let him suffer.

Bex came running at the shout of her name. Charlie sighed, knowing her time was up. Before she left the room she reminded Bex to not let Mike get to her. 

“Bex, you gotta let me out. We’ve got the mafia to take down.” Mike pleaded.

Bex just shook her head. “They can wait. How ‘bout I tell you about the first time I went under cover?” She asked as she sat down and took his hand.

Mike groaned, hating that it seemed like Bex wouldn’t let him out either.

Bex launched into her story of how she and another agent dressed in Halloween costumes went undercover to try to become a part of a gang. “So I was at this house and of fucking course the party’s theme was the circus so as I’m searching for the leader, I’m taken out by one of the goons that are dressed as clowns. I’m talking feet flying in the air, wind knocked out of me all because a clown tackled me.

Then there was this loud bang and the clown takes off and I chase after him. Before I know it I’m on the ground again but this time because of a cop. I had bruises for weeks!” She shook her head in disbelief at the memory. “I got the name Go-Go because of it. Some pair we make, huh? Go-Go and Levi.” 

Charlie and Bex continued taking turns watching over Mike. They were 36 hours in and Mike was worse for wear. Bex was with him, trying to make him feel some comfort by wiping his face with a cool, damp wash cloth. Charlie knocked on the door and held up Bex’s phone. “Some guy name Luka keeps calling.”

“Oh shit.” Bex mumbled as she went to grab her phone.

“Go answer it,” Charlie said, “I can handle this.” 

Bex smiled gratefully and went to go answer her phone. “Luka, hey.” She answered sheepishly.

“Bex, thank god you finally picked up. You weren’t at home or at your usual spots. Are you okay? Where are you?” He sounded genuinely worried which made her feel bad.

“I’m sorry, Luka. My friend’s really sick and I’ve been taking care of her. I guess I’ve just lost count of the days.”

Luka let out a sigh of relief. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I knew Declan had to be lying again.”

Bex froze at the mention of the other agent’s name. “Declan said something?”

“Don’t worry about him. He’ s just jealous that no one pays attention to him anymore.” He brushed off her worry. “How about you tell me where your friend lives and I’ll pick you up for lunch?”

Bex smiled even if he couldn’t see her. She was relieved Luka didn’t believe Declan and was touched that he wanted to take her to lunch but she couldn’t leave Mike. “I wish I could. I don’t know if I’ve picked up her virus though and it’s such a nasty one I wouldn’t want to give it to you. I should know in a few more days though.”

Luka sighed. “I understand. I guess I’ll talk to you later then.”

Bex nodded. “Yes, and thanks for checking on me.” With that they hung up and Bex went back into Mike’s room, Wizard of Oz in hand.

By the time 48 hours had passed Bex had reached halfway through the book. Mike had been fighting through the entire time going so far as putting the pillow over his head to block out her voice. Bex sighed when she noticed him do it during her recent reading. She marked the page and set it down on his dresser. She then rolled his desk chair over to the side of his bed and gently took his hand that was gripping the pillow. She caressed the back of his hand as she took a deep breath. 

“You can do this, Mike. I know you can. You’re facing this thing head on and I wish I had half the strength you did. It took me years to finally face my demons. I would not go towards a human trafficking case with a ten foot pole.”

Mike was still staring straight ahead. The world around him was blurry and while Bex’s words were pulsing in and out like his grip on reality, he knew the importance of them. Her voice was calming, he honestly didn’t mind listening to her read but when she did she stood at the foot of his bed, pacing back and forth as she acted out the story as best she could. The only thing was that with her being so far away she was a blonde blob and that blob reminded him too much of Paige so he hated when Bex read. But this, Bex sitting next to his bed, holding his hand, and talking he could do, he preferred and for a short while it took his mind off of the pain he felt throughout his whole body.

“You know that case I told you about after we signed the Capello’s to our bank? The one that wasn’t technically my first case but I consider it to be? It was the reason I joined the Bureau actually. I knew that I had to make sure other families didn’t feel like my family did but still I would not go anywhere near a case that would remind me of my sister.

It was my second year in college and I get a call from my mom that my sister has gone missing. A week later her body shows up and she’s dressed in this outfit that is not like my sister at all. Funny enough I guess, the FBI was brought in on the investigation. They told us that the guy who took my sister was on their most wanted list but he was a skilled criminal sticking with low profile girls who wouldn’t raise any red flags. The girls living on the street, runaways, drug dealers, prostitutes, those kinds of people. He gets one wrong periodically, like with my sister. 

She didn’t want to bother me since it was mid-terms week but she wanted to come stay with me for a while. My parents didn’t like her plan. She was about to graduate high school and was looking for schools that had a great acting program. She wanted to be an actress but my parents didn’t support it. 

The case went cold and I joined the Bureau. It wasn’t until about a year before you came to D.C. actually that I started working on those kinds of cases again.” Bex had to stop to hold herself together. She needed to be strong for Mike. 

“You’ve got 24 more hours. I know you can do it, Mike. You’re so close. I believe in you. Just hold on just a little bit more.” She sat up and brushed his hair back before placing a kiss on his clammy forehead. 

“Bex, where are the keys?!” Charlie called out the last morning that Mike had to be locked up. He was too hot. She was nervous that this would happen. It happened the last time. 

“They’re on his desk!” Bex replied as she ran to his room.

“Start a bath and get the ice! He’s running a fever.” Charlie ordered as she heard Bex’s hurried footsteps. 

Bex ran into the en suite and started running cold water into the tub before running to get the bags of ice they had put in the freezer. She set them down beside the tub and then went to help Charlie get Mike into the ice bath. “On the count of three, ready?” Bex asked as she looked over at Charlie, who was at Mike’s head. 

Charlie nodded.

One

Two

Three

Mike felt the ice water lap at his over heated skin and soak through his clothes. Soon the feeling went away as he heard birds chirping and saw a serene meadow scene in front of him. He then felt the urge to run towards something but he wasn’t entirely sure what that something was. He ran through a field of high grass, jumping over obstacles that were in his path. 

A red bird flew in front of him, causing Mike to slow down. He stepped towards the bird, trying not to scare it away. It was the same bird he had seen outside of the bank before his detox had taken place. It stared at him for a moment just as it had when he had seen it outside of this dream before flying off to join the others. Mike felt the urge to follow the flock so he turned and walked down a road with arching trees that lead him to a grandfather clock that was stuck at the time 10:10.

As Mike came closer, a woman came into view. “Bex?” He asked when he recognized the woman.

She smiled at him and offered her hand which he took. “What are you doing here?” Mike asked.

Bex just shrugged. “It’s your subconscious but you better fight your way back to me, Mike Warren.” Before leaving she placed a kiss on his cheek and gave him a loving look.

Just as she vanished, Mike began choking. He felt like he was drowning. With one last push he shot out of the water, gasping for breath. Hands were pushing his hair back and lips were placing kisses on top of his head but neither belonged to the woman he was looking at. 

Charlie began cleaning up, deciding to let the other two have their moment. Just as she was leaving the bathroom she heard the sound of two bodies colliding. She turned around and smiled as she looked on to see Bex embracing Mike and Mike returning it, holding her as close to him as the bathtub would allow. 

“Don’t you ever do that to me again, Mike Warren. I thought I lost you.” Bex breathed.

Mike gave her waist a tight squeeze. “I promise that I will always fight my way back to you.”   
  



	8. Almost There

Bex was pacing the length of Mike’s living room while she was on the phone with Luka. Her free hand was either moving in circular motions as if she was using the motion to explain or covering her mouth as she listened intently. 

“Is everything okay?” Mike asked Charlie as he walked in on the scene after his hot shower. The small amount of scruff he had was shaven off and he was dressed in a clean t-shirt and jeans. His eyes shined with worry as he watched Bex walk back and forth.

“That agent that’s under is causing some more problems. It’s probably because the sale date is a few days away. But let’s leave her be. I could use some help with the sauce.” Charlie replied causing Mike to turn his focus on her.

“You’re making sauce?”

Charlie smiled. “Sure am. Now c’mon she doesn’t need an audience.” 

At that moment Bex stopped in her tracks, hand clenched in a fist and her grip on her phone tightened. “I thought you trusted me Luka!” She exclaimed, pissed that it seemed like she could be taken from the big sale.

There was a moment of silence before Bex heard shuffling on the other end. “Bex?” Izzy’s voice broke through the silence, stunning the agent, causing the silence to continue. “I’m only assuming you’re still there,” Izzy continued, “My brother just misses you. Don’t listen to anything he’s said. Meet him for dinner tomorrow night instead. He’ll be at the small Italian restaurant we like to escape to a lot at seven. He looks forward to seeing you and I can’t wait for you to be around more. I’m glad to hear your friend is doing better. Bye, Bex.”

“Bye, Izzy, and thanks.” Bex said, smiling despite the other woman not being able to see it. Thank god for Isabella Capello. Bex made a silent promise that when this was all over she would do her best to do something for the girl. 

After pocketing her phone, Bex made her way into the kitchen. Sliding up to the bar, next to Mike, she leaned over to see all of the ingredients Charlie had laid out to add to the pot full of marinara sauce. Mike tapped her shoulder and shook his head when she looked back at him. “If she catches you, you’re done for.” He whispered. 

At that Bex straightened up and pulled out the bar stool to sit down. “How ya feeling?” She asked Mike. 

“Better, thank you.” He said but his eyes expressed the depth of those words. He meant those words with every atom in his being. “How are you? I came out in the middle of that phone call. Everything still okay?”

Bex sighed, placing her head in her hands. “I am going to be so glad when this op is over. Declan is going to be the death of me but Izzy is once again the life saver. I’ve got a date tomorrow night with Luka.”

“Do I need to get a tac team together or will you just need me listening in?” Mike asked, already getting back into operative mode. 

Bex looked up and shook her head. “Oh, no. I just got you back. I want you to rest up until I really need you.”

Before Mike could reply, Charlie finally spoke up. “Enough work talk. It’s time for Bex to hear the story of the sauce.” 

Charlie’s sauce ruined all other marinara sauces for Bex. She was glad that the restaurant gave them some to dip their breadsticks in before ordering since she was planning on getting a marinara pasta dish. For most of the conversation with Luka, she was doing damage control. Thankfully Mike had been introduced as a friend so she didn’t have to come up with a complete lie. She even used his detox symptoms to explain the virus she had given him in her story. 

She shot up a thank you to the universe when Luka finally began to show signs of calming down. After the waiter took their orders, Luka reached across the table and took Bex’s hand. “I’m sorry.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “This life makes you paranoid so my mind went to the worst conclusions and the lies that Declan was spewing wasn’t helping. I am grateful for Izzy because I’m afraid I would lose one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.” 

Bex smiled and leaned across the table to give him a kiss. “I’m glad you’ve given me a second chance. Let’s get through this week then maybe you and I can go away for a little while? I’ve always wanted to see Italy.”

Luka smiled. “Then it is settled. After the sale you and I will go enjoy the Italian countryside and not worry about the business.”

After dinner they walked for awhile. Luka was explaining how the deal was going to go down the next day. Bex would be presented as a good luck charm, the buyers would present the money then the Capello’s would take the case and hand over the guns. It was an easy deal, one that Bex had stopped many times before. 

When she was dropped back off at her car, she wished Luka a good night and made her way back to Mike’s. Bex relayed all information that she found out and the two came up with a plan. “Are you sure you’ll be okay to run this?” Bex asked for what felt like the millionth time.

Mike could do nothing but laugh and shake his head. He wasn’t used to hearing that question so genuine each time. “Yes, Bex. I can handle this. You can count on me. I promise.”

Bex sighed and nodded her head. “Sorry,” she smiled sheepishly, “I think I’m projecting. It’s the pre-end game jitters. This is gonna work, right?”

Mike reached over and grabbed her hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “Everything is going to be okay. We’re gonna get ‘em Bex. Then we can celebrate with those jelly croissants, hmm?”

Bex laughed and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good. You deserve a batch anyway.” She then looked down at the plan they had written out. “ ‘Looks to be right’ and you swarm the place.” She confirmed.

Mike nodded. “And I get to take you away in cuffs.”

“I think you’re too excited about that part.” Bex teased causing them both to laugh. “I better get going then. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She said after their laughter died down. 

Mike nodded and stood before helping Bex up. He walked her to the door. The two shared a hug that was probably seen as too long between two friends but it felt right to them. They pulled back just enough to see each other’s faces. “Be safe,” Bex whispered.

Mike smiled. “You too.” 

There was a pull happening between them but it was as if both realized what was going on at the same time and pulled away from each other completely. They both tried to hide the blushes that were tinting their faces pink from each other as Bex slipped out the door. This definitely was a development they thought they weren’t expecting.


	9. Sale Day

Today was the day. Bex was picked up by Luka and taken back to the shop they used to do business in. Wherever Luka went, Bex did too which allowed her to see just how many guns they were about to sell off. It was a lot and Bex was glad she was finally going to be able to get these guns off the streets so the people of DC could sleep a little better at night.

When all the crates were loaded onto the truck, Bex and Luka followed behind in one of his many sports cars. They were meeting at the docks, there was a warehouse there that the Capello’s owned for the sole purpose of making shady deals. Luka pulled in front of the truck, squealing the tires as it slid sideways against the slick floors of the warehouse.

Bex rolled her eyes at his flashy display to which Luka just laughed. “I’ve got to have just a little bit of fun.” He smirked at her before getting out of the car. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door, helping Bex out.

The men who were buying from the Capello’s raise their voices to show their displeasure with Bex being there. “Gentlemen, gentlemen settle down. Without my beautiful lady this deal wouldn’t have happened. She’s my good luck charm so show some respect.”

The men grumbled their consent and fell silent. Both Luka and Bex just smiled. So far so good. Bex had her arm looped through Luka’s as they met the buyers in the middle. While small chatter could be heard, the loudest thing to Bex was the clicking of her heels against the concrete floor. Each step she took was a step closer to ending all of this.

“So gentlemen, do you have what we’ve asked for?” Luka asked. 

In response the leader nodded his head and the man on his right lifted a silver suitcase. He opened the lid showing that they indeed had the money requested.

“Bex, we’ve got company. We’re coming in.” Mike said through their communicators.

Bex’s eyes went wide. This wasn’t a part of their plan.

Luka chuckled at her expression thinking it was shock at seeing so much money. “Never seen this much money before, love? Stick with me and you’ll see it all the time.” He chuckled before nodding towards the buyers. “It all looks to be right. Boys make the traded off.” He called out to the men they brought with him. 

That was when all hell broke loose. Squealing tires and gunshots filled the warehouse as Declan and a few other of the soldiers that worked with him jumped out of the black SUV that had just entered the space. Luka pushed Bex behind the car, covering her with his body. “Stay here. I’m sorry this was supposed to be simple. Declan will be punished for this.”

Luka stood and began shooting at Declan and his team. The buyers had begun shooting at the Capelo team, thinking that they were behind this interruption in order to not give up the guns. The Capello soldiers that came with Bex and Luka began shooting back at the buyers in self defense. All in all it was chaos with the sounds of guns, screams of pain and bodies hitting the floor as Bex was hurrying to pull her gun from her thigh holster. She was waiting for Mike and the tactic team to show up to help provide her a bit more cover.

“FBI! Put down your weapons!” Mike shouted as the FBI team swarmed into the warehouse. Everyone turned and began shooting at the tactic team instead of listening. Finally Bex managed to finally get a hold of her gun and began to shoot a good number of people without being detected.

When the FBI out numbered those who were still standing, the gunfire ceased. “Put your guns on the ground and step away from them. We may go nice on you if you do but you all will be coming with us.” Mike said before looking at his team. “Get all you can. Medic and police are on their way to help.” He ordered just as sirens were heard off in the distance.

The FBI team fanned out and Mike walked over to Bex who acted shocked. “I can’t believe you! We were friends and you were FBI this whole time? You were spying on me this whole time?” 

Mike just chuckled and pulled her arms behind her back then placed the cuffs around her wrists. “Sorry, sweetheart I did promise to always keep you on your toes.” He nudged her forwards, making their way to a police car. “Take her to one of the offices where she can’t be seen by the others.” Mike ordered as he uncuffed her.

“Yes, sir.” The officer nodded and Mike close the car door. As Mike made his way back to assess the scene he walked by an officer handling Luka. “You son of a bitch! You will pay for what you have done to us!”

Mike stopped and walked backwards to face him. “Should I add threatening a federal agent to your very long list of crimes?”

“No, because it was a promise.” Luka then spit towards Mike’s face.

Mike just chuckled and wiped the few drops of spit that actually landed on his face away. “Take him away.” Mike ordered as he continued on his way.

Bex was pacing the length of the room when Mike came in. Her back was facing him and he just shook his head. “How long have you been doing that?”

Bex spun on the balls of her feet. She was paying attention to her surroundings and so she heard the door open. She just wasn’t expecting Mike. She was expecting another officer offering her a cup of crappy breakroom coffee. “What took you so long?”

Mike sat down in one of the chairs and Bex followed suit. “It was a bit messier than expected thanks to Declan, who’s dead by the way.”

“Well, that’s one way to pay for his betrayal.” Bex replied.

Mike nodded. “Now all we have to do is take care of Luka. The rest of the Capello’s and all who are affiliated are being brought in as we speak.”

“I want to be the one to talk with Izzy. She’s not had anything to do with the business and she’s just been looking out for her brother.” Bex requested. 

“Yeah, of course. Just because you have to stay hidden from Luka doesn’t mean you’re no longer leading this mission.”

Bex let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Mike. When she gets here, mind bring her in here?”

“You got it.” Mike stood and gave Bex’s shoulder a squeeze. “Good work, Bex. You’re sure to get a promotion.”

She smiled and placed her hand over his. “Welcome back, Mike.”

He chuckled and expressed his thanks before going back out. Interrogations were about to start.


	10. Wrapping Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at the end! I am preparing to write a sequel but that won't be for a little while. For fans of Aaron's show Braindead I think you'll like it too. I hope you all enjoyed the story and I can't wait to know what you all think. Much love!

When Izzy was brought in, she was immediately shown to the office that Bex was working in. Bex was going through all that Luka actually had a hand in compared to the entire family business. It seemed like his reputation of not really caring about the family business rang true. He really didn’t have his hand in too much. This meant that she could potentially get him a lesser sentence. 

“Bex? What’s going on?” Izzy asked as she saw the blonde looking through files and taking notes.

Bex looked up and motioned for Izzy to have a seat. “I have a confession, Izzy and honestly you’re probably going to hate me for it but please trust that I’m working on getting you and Luka a deal.” 

Izzy balled her hands into fists. She looked like she wanted to throw something but did her best to remain calm. “You’re one of them aren’t you? You’re a fed.”

Bex nodded at Izzy’s conclusion. “Yeah, yeah I am.”

Izzy scoffed as she shook her head. “Was anything real?”

Bex sighed. “Everything between us, yes. Luka,however is a bit more complicated. He’s certainly not my type but I do care for him like a friend.” 

Izzy deflated, as if all the tension left her body as she let out a heavy sigh and sunk down into the chair. “You picture your family being stopped a million times, picture your favorite brother being saved from himself, but it never looked like this. We trusted you, ya know? And I’m pretty sure he loves you and yet you are the one who sold us out.”

Bex came around the desk and sat down in the other chair next to Izzy. “I am so sorry Izzy. You can believe it or not but it is genuine. You know the most difficult part of the job, no matter what anyone else says is getting attached to those you are supposed to be working. After getting to know you and Luka, it was difficult to separate what I was feeling as a person and what I had to get done as an agent.

I know you both didn’t care about the family business. It shows in how much Luka didn’t participate in. So I’m working on a deal for the both of you. You’ll be able to leave here and live whatever life you want to live. Luka just needs to cooperate with Mike and he’ll get a lesser sentence.”

Izzy looked over to Bex, her eyes searching Bex’s face, trying to determine if the agent was telling the truth. “You’re being serious?”

Bex nodded. “Completely. I’ll finish up the paper work, send it over to Mike and hope Luka will take it.”

Izzy shook her head. “He won’t take it. Let me tell him about it. Does he know about you?”

Bex shook her head. “No.”

“Then, yeah, I’ll need to be the one to persuade him. You guys need names, right?”

“Yeah, that’d be helpful.”

Izzy nodded. “Okay. Then I’ll let you get back to work.” 

The paper work that Bex needed to file took another thirty minutes before the two went down to the room Mike was speaking to Luka in. They entered into the room on the other side of the two way mirror. When it was clear Mike was getting nowhere Bex knocked on the glass in a certain pattern that he would know meant that she was there.

At the sound of the knock, Mike hit the table as he pushed himself up from his chair. “This is your saving grace, Luka. You should really start cooperating.” He said as he left the room.

When he saw that Izzy was with Bex, he sighed. “Bex, what is she doing here?”

“Izzy’s going to be the only one to get Luka to cooperate. He clearly isn’t wanting to talk to you and if I go in there, he’ll freak out. She’s our best chance to get what we want.”

Mike slowly nodded as he was processing what she said. “Alright. You’re just to talk about the deal though.” 

Izzy nodded in agreement. Bex handed her the folder that had the document that Luka had to sign and Mike showed her into the room.

As Izzy sat down across from her brother, Mike returned to the observation room with Bex. “You think this is going to work?” He asked coming up to stand next to her with his arms crossed across his chest.

Bex nodded as she mirrored his stance. “Yeah, I do.”

“Izzy, you’re working with them now?” Luka asked when he saw his sister with a file in her hands.

“I’m trying to save you and there’s someone who is helping me with that mission.” Izzy replied.

“Who could that be? Everyone we know is probably being brought in right now.”

Izzy sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She knew what she was about to say was going to break her brother’s heart. “Bex is a fed, Luka but she’s helping us while also doing her job. She’s helping us get out of this life while shutting down the business. You can get a lesser sentence, she made sure of it. I watched her put this together. They just need names and your signature and you can be out in like ten years.”

Luka looked shocked and broken hearted as he processed what Izzy had told him. Izzy leaned across the table and took his hand. “Please, Luka, take the deal. It’s real. It’s not something to hook you.”

Luka looked at his hand in his sister’s before looking up to her pleading eyes. He sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll take the deal.” He signed the documents as Izzy looked on with a smile. When he finished he pushed the file back to Izzy and then looked towards the two way mirror. There was no way to tell where Bex stood but she felt as though he was staring right at her. “I guess you really were always a lying bitch.”

Bex stiffened at his words and turned to leave. She accomplished what she came to do, now she needed to start her report. Mike grabbed her wrist before she could leave. “Bex, don’t listen to him. You and I both know this is one of the hardest parts of our jobs. He’ll find someone else, forget all about your relationship and move on. You just remember that you did what you did so you could ultimately save the citizens of DC. You were just able to save him and his sister in the process. Go and get yourself some food or a drink. I’ll wrap up her and I’ll meet ya.”

Bex nodded, giving him a small smile and a grateful squeeze to his hand before leaving the room.

It took a couple of weeks for the case to finally wrap up. Everyone was rather impressed by the work Mike and Bex did, including the director. With the Capello family taken out the people of DC were able to sleep a little better at night. Despite the success of the case, when Bex and Mike were called into the director’s office, the two felt as though they were being called into the principal’s office.

“Are you two ready for your next assignments?” The director asked once the two sat down.

They both nodded. “Will we be working together again?” Bex asked.

“Not exactly. There are currently two cases open that could use your help, so I’m splitting you two up based on where I feel you’ll both do well. The first one is a serial killer who has popped back up again. I believe you know them and some members of the team investigating them, Agent Morris. Ms. Penelope Garcia will be coming to get you in ten minutes. If you can track this killer down, we’ll talk about that transfer and promotion you’ve had your eyes on for a while.”

Bex nodded. She knew exactly who decided to show their face again. One Spencer Reid texted her to inform her of just that a couple of days ago. She was a bit nervous but was also quite excited to work with the Behavioral Analysis Unit again.

“As for you, Warren we are sending you undercover as Gareth Ritter, the chief of staff under Republican Senator Red Wheatus. Something fishy is going on over on Capitol Hill. Find out what kind of packages these senators are signing for and what’s going on. Cover info is on your desk and I want a weekly report. Got it?”

Mike nodded. “Yes, sir.” Well, this could get really interesting, especially since he was so used just using his own first name when going undercover. He was quite curious as to what had caught the director’s attention over on Capitol Hill. 

“Good, now go show me the same kind of magic I saw on the Capello case. I’m expecting big results!”


End file.
